Falling (repeatedly)

65- Vanilla Sadcake

*+*Two days later*+*

Madeleine waves goodbye to Canelé, who said she was tired of the kingdom.

Espresso and Mocha are still at home. As soon as Canelé is gone, Madeleine starts walking away.

He hears Vanilla talking to someone, "You can shapeshift? That's so-"

"Vanilla Cupcake? Who are you talking to?"

Vanilla turns to him, "My friend!"

"Who? There's no one else here."

Vanilla turns around, "Oh.. I wonder where they went."

Madeleine asks, "Is.. Are you talking to an imaginary friend?"

"They're real."

"Then how did they vanish?"

Vanilla starts to say something, then stops. He shrugs.

Madeleine sighs, "Alright, well, I should get home."

Vanilla waves while he walks away. When he turns back to the shaded alley, his friend is there.

Vanilla looks up at their face, "Where did you go?"

"I just.. didn't want him to see me."

"Is there a reason?"

"Yes."

"Oh, ok! What should we-" The person gets tackled by Sprinkles and Chiffon.

The dogs bark happily. Vanilla looks in the direction they came from, "Hi Red Velvet!"

The dogs are now confused. Vanilla turns to them, and his friend is gone again. The dogs start sniffing the ground, trying to find them.

Vanilla frowns, "They keep leaving..."

"Who?"

Vanilla turns to Red Velvet, "My new friend. They disappear every time someone else shows up."

"Are you sure they're real..?"

"If they weren't real, I would be dead. They caught me after Canelé threw me off a cliff two days ago."

"Wait she- WHAT?!"

Vanilla crosses his arms, "She said I had to 'be disposed of' and she called me useless. She left today though."

"If I see her again, she's dead."

Vanilla's tone shifts to a darker one, "If I wanted her dead that badly I would have killed her already."

Red Velvet shivers, "How do you do that-"

Vanilla uncrosses his arms, going back to his normal tone, "Do what?"

Red Velvet stares at him, "..."

Vanilla smiles, "What were you doing before you started talking to me?"